The Ontario government is introducing the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024, which contains a suite of measures to support workers, including mandating that jobsite washrooms are clean and sanitary, and requiring that menstrual products be provided on larger construction sites.

Menstrual products will be required on construction projects with 20 or more regularly employed workers and where the project is expected to last at least three months.

The province says the legislation, if passed, is the first of its kind in Canada and will make the skilled trades more accessible to women and support women at work.

“Under Premier Ford, our government is tackling the generational labour shortage previous governments left in their wake. That means we need all hands on deck – but when women represent only one in ten workers in the skilled trades, we have one hand tied behind our back,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “That’s why our government is introducing first-in-Canada changes to encourage women to start a career in the skilled trades and reach their full potential. Because an economy that doesn’t work for women, doesn’t work at all.”

Ontario’s proposed amendments would also add virtual harassment to the definitions of workplace harassment and workplace sexual harassment in the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Additional measures to address safety in construction will include a comprehensive review of critical injuries and fatalities in the construction sector and a consultation on expanding the types of life-saving equipment, such as defibrillators, to be provided on construction projects.

“All workers must feel safe at work and that includes clean and sanitary workplace washrooms, including menstrual products, protection from harassment, regardless of the medium, and having the correct equipment on construction sites to safely perform the work,” said Giovanni Cautillo, president of the Ontario General Contractors Association.